Question for all Magma Caster owners/users

[Mozz]

OK guys I've just ordered a Magma Caster which should be shipped in a month.

What preparation do you do if you had to do it all over again?

Mozz

[SODAPOPMG]

Order it 10 years earlier

[Dave W.]

Not necessarily things I would do differently, but some observations.
It casts slower than using a 6 gang mould, but the the boolits from it are more constantly shaped and better quality.
I like the PID control better than the manual thermostat.
It took me casting a few thousand boolits before I figured out how to work it to my satisfaction. I could not get it to release 200 grain, SWC reliability out of the mound. Turned out I had to wait a few seconds longer to let the lead cool and shrink as well as modify the pin to open the sprew cutter more. It would have been easier if I had started out casting 38/357 or 9MM. But once the bugs worked out with the larger diameter bullets casting the smaller ones was a breeze.
Enjoy your new toy!

[djryan13]

It’s hard to prep for it. I ordered an In-line fab quick change plate for mine but that’s how I attach to my bench.

I had to figure out what to drop them into. I used a jeans pant leg to drop the bullets into a water bucket. Some folks have said water can cause problems with coatings though.

I would order Hatch’s automation system. Well worth it. I got my PID installed from Magma and I am happy with it. Hatch has one too but you have to install.

If you automate, you will need to put screen or something on the side of the output area else you will have sprue and bullets flying out.

If you have some 2 cavity RCBS, Lyman or other steel molds, you can have Magma convert them while you wait. They are pretty quick with those.

I also scoured EBay and elsewhere for molds.

Good luck with your setup and post results!

[dverna]

Order it 10 years earlier

Agree.

It is not as fast as a good 6 cavity mold but it allows you to cast for longer periods of time. I have nerve damage and cannot work with heavy molds for very long anymore.

You want a consistent and very clean alloy so that is what I would prep. Clearing out crap is not fun.

It is heavy, also you are "rapping" down on the handle for every pour so have a good table/setup. I believe some folks set up a secondary fan to reduce mold cool time.

You will enjoy it!!!

[MOA]

OK guys I've just ordered a Magma Caster which should be shipped in a month.

What preparation do you do if you had to do it all over again?

Mozz

Ok Mozz, here is what I did, maybe it will give you a few ideas.
First off I wanted a sturdy bench, but since I didn't have access to a lot of tools I went the easy route since I was renting a place and really could not start putting a permanent setup on property that was not mine. I went to home depot, they had a prepackaged work bench for about a hundred dollars that I could unfold the two by four end legs and I also picked up about five sheet of galvanized steel for a clad covering of the work bench. I planned to fold and bend the sheets and secure them with screws after drilling the pilot holes for the screws. After you get the location marked with marker for the mounting holes for the caster, you want to mark where the cut will be for the boolet drop through the top and down the chute to the water. I used a floor register hvac vent and a flex tube secured to the vent fastened under the table that had been pre-marked where the caster would sit and be fastened down to.While you have the caster centered for marking the bolt mounting holes and the hole for the boolits, take the time to also mark and cut a small slot on the side of the metal fence where the sprue will fall through the table too when it is cut from the top of the mold. You don't want to be digging a pile of hot sprue's out of that narrow slotted pocket at the front of the machine. Just put a box with a towel or some other container under the slot for the sprue's to fall into. You can have a slight angle on the flex tube over to the water bucket and let the sprues' drop straight down into the sprue box and you won't have to deal with hot sprue's. A five gallon HD pail is used collect the water cooled boolits. Hope the images help you prep for your new and fun toy.

https://i.postimg.cc/Y9jBbqVd/20141023-144256.jpg (https://postimg.cc/S20PKqm9)

https://i.postimg.cc/sXX9x1H9/20141023_154402.jpg (https://postimg.cc/WDBJfpvh)

https://i.postimg.cc/qR7j918L/20141023_154353.jpg (https://postimg.cc/yJwmRXpg)

https://i.postimg.cc/1t44wSKQ/20141023_154343.jpg (https://postimg.cc/phb2Mg7G)

https://i.postimg.cc/FRRXDg1t/20141023_154329.jpg (https://postimg.cc/4Kr03czw)

https://i.postimg.cc/mDk9yJsQ/20141025_101122.jpg (https://postimg.cc/7GvbxBb6)

https://i.postimg.cc/G2940D9Y/20141025_094544.jpg (https://postimg.cc/JDVrZGN4)

https://i.postimg.cc/hjjhTmBv/20141024_121004.jpg (https://postimg.cc/yJMVzkWC)

https://i.postimg.cc/3RRYKLdR/20150125_153906.jpg (https://postimg.cc/Y4JJRzNK)

https://i.postimg.cc/DZZbbkC3/20150320_093254.jpg (https://postimg.cc/B8rvdy9m)

[Mozz]

Too true

[Mozz]

It’s hard to prep for it. I ordered an In-line fab quick change plate for mine but that’s how I attach to my bench.

I had to figure out what to drop them into. I used a jeans pant leg to drop the bullets into a water bucket. Some folks have said water can cause problems with coatings though.

I would order Hatch’s automation system. Well worth it. I got my PID installed from Magma and I am happy with it. Hatch has one too but you have to install.

If you automate, you will need to put screen or something on the side of the output area else you will have sprue and bullets flying out.

If you have some 2 cavity RCBS, Lyman or other steel molds, you can have Magma convert them while you wait. They are pretty quick with those.

I also scoured EBay and elsewhere for molds.

Good luck with your setup and post results!

Thank you for the pointers, also I will look at Hatch's auto set up.

[Mozz]

Ok Mozz, here is what I did, maybe it will give you a few ideas.
First off I wanted a sturdy bench, but since I didn't have access to a lot of tools I went the easy route since I was renting a place and really could not start putting a permanent setup on property that was not mine. I went to home depot, they had a prepackaged work bench for about a hundred dollars that I could unfold the two by four end legs and I also picked up about five sheet of galvanized steel for a clad covering of the work bench. I planned to fold and bend the sheets and secure them with screws after drilling the pilot holes for the screws. After you get the location marked with marker for the mounting holes for the caster, you want to mark where the cut will be for the boolet drop through the top and down the chute to the water. I used a floor register hvac vent and a flex tube secured to the vent fastened under the table that had been pre-marked where the caster would sit and be fastened down to.While you have the caster centered for marking the bolt mounting holes and the hole for the boolits, take the time to also mark and cut a small slot on the side of the metal fence where the sprue will fall through the table too when it is cut from the top of the mold. You don't want to be digging a pile of hot sprue's out of that narrow slotted pocket at the front of the machine. Just put a box with a towel or some other container under the slot for the sprue's to fall into. You can have a slight angle on the flex tube over to the water bucket and let the sprues' drop straight down into the sprue box and you won't have to deal with hot sprue's. A five gallon HD pail is used collect the water cooled boolits. Hope the images help you prep for your new and fun toy.

Thank you for your advise and the photos which paint a 1000 words. I've started to clear the area for the bench space.

Regards

[smithnframe]

Sort of takes the fun out of casting your own!

[dogdoc]

Good info! I have a new one sitting in a box for several months now that I am getting ready to set up. Have had other things going on so put it on the back burner .

[MOA]

Sort of takes the fun out of casting your own!

Smithframe, having a master caster doesn't have to take the fun out of casting you own. Magma make a pot base you can order that will fit the pot part of the MC. Two bolts is all you need to remove to swap the pot from one base to the other. I got the base and still hand cast many of my large caliber boolits and especially the shotgun slugs. And it's so nice to have a pot that will hold 40 pounds of alloy at a time. Lot less wait time if doing a few thousand at a time. One can do hundreds without a single stop.

https://i.postimg.cc/633R7jwS/new-images-June-9-2017.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/zfwnXm8W/Photo0459.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/d0Q41wpn/20180324_144416.jpg (https://postimg.cc/nX5vSbHQ)

[djryan13]

MOA, it looks like you gave up trying to keep the sprue separate front he bullets. My master caster hangs over the edge of the bench. I have bullets going down the pant leg (as mentioned above) and the sprue going into a loaf pan which is hung just below where the sprue is supposed to exit.

There is an art to getting the sprue to not go down the same chute as the bullets. You will NEVER get it perfect. But you can get it balanced enough that you don’t go too mad.

[MOA]

djryan13, so true on the sprue. I never cut the second slot for it on this table. I will on the next one or like you hang it over the edge. The sprue seem to have a mind of their own at times.

[djryan13]

djryan13, so true on the sprue. I never cut the second slot for it on this table. I will on the next one or like you hang it over the edge. The sprue seem to have a mind of their own at times.

Ha! They do. They go everywhere. I do my best to separate but I have some very nicely high tech coated sprues!

[Rigsby]

Agree.

It is not as fast as a good 6 cavity mold but it allows you to cast for longer periods of time. I have nerve damage and cannot work with heavy molds for very long anymore.

You want a consistent and very clean alloy so that is what I would prep. Clearing out crap is not fun.

It is heavy, also you are "rapping" down on the handle for every pour so have a good table/setup. I believe some folks set up a secondary fan to reduce mold cool time.

You will enjoy it!!!

I fully agree that it's not as fast as a 6 cavity mold and not anywhere as fast as two 6 cavity molds.

I run my Lee production pot at a little too high temp and uses two 6cavity molds for my 9mm's so as soon as one starts to throw matt bullets, I switch over to the other one and let the first one cool until the second starts to throw matt bullets, and so the story continues...........Sprue goes straight back in the pot and that lowers the temperature a bit, hence the slightly high temp setting.

I can empty the 10 lbs. pot in like 25 minutes, which equals somewhere near 550 bullets every 25 minutes, this is pretty hard to beat, does that a couple of times a day over a week, and discard the wrinkled bullets at sizing.

Due to the short time it takes, my wife doesn't even miss me when I'm in the workshop. (maybe that's not the reason, what do I know?)

Anyway, I thought about going for a Mastercaster but decided against it after I tried the two-six-cavity-mold-solution.

Asked directly, I'd rather be shooting than casting and spend the money not spent on the Magma for primers and powder.

Just my humble opinion, sorry